5 Simple Ways to Celebrate Earth Day

Friday, April 22nd is officially Earth Day!  Earth Day is a day meant to inspire appreciation and awareness for our environment.  While the fight for a clean environment is crucial year round, spreading awareness of its importance is necessary to further this effort.  Here are 5 simple ways to honor our Earth tomorrow!

1. Carry a Reusable Bag or Coffee Cup: plastic bags and paper cups are constantly littering our oceans and landfills.  By carrying your own bag or cup you are not adding to this devastating environmental problem.  If you carry your own cup the Friday you can even get free coffee or tea from Starbucks!!!!  http://www.starbucks.com/blog/happy-earth-day/993

2. Buy Locally: buying local produce saves on carbon emissions, a huge environmental benefit, and boosts your local economy.  You'll get the freshest organic produce straight from the farm to the table and the added health benefits or organic product.  Boston Organics is a local company that will deliver the "dogma box"- full of local organic produce- straight to your door!  http://www.bostonorganics.com/

3. Recycle-Not Just Your Trash:  selling and buying used and vintage clothes is an amazing way to do your part to recycle, in addition to recycling your trash. Recycling plastic and glass containers is always a great place to start. The city of Boston offers curbside recycling for residents in households with 1-6 units. You don't even have to separate your containers from your paper and cardboard.  http://www.cityofboston.gov/publicworks/recyclingandsanitation/curbside.asp
Buying and selling used clothing is also very easy in Boston.  If you are looking to sell clothes on consignment Second Time Around has at least 10 stores in the Boston area.  http://www.secondtimearound.net/  If you are looking to buy secondhand and vintage clothing check out Nancy's Gone Green Eco Boutique. http://www.nancysgonegreen.com/

4. Plant a Tree: the Grow Boston Greener Campaign is an effort to increase the urban tree canopy cover by planting 100,000 trees by 2020.  Area Home Depot locations at South Bay and West Roxbury will offering discounted pricing on certain tree types on Earth Day. Take advantage of these special offers and plant a tree in your yard.  If you report your tree planting it will be counted toward the Grow Boston Greener Campaign.  http://www.cityofboston.gov/environmentalandenergy/earthday.asp

5. Cook or Eat a Vegan Meal: extremely large amounts of fossil fuels are used to produce meat and dairy products. Corporate cattle farms are a large polluter of our valuable water supply. Officials of the U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization have reported the meat industry as "one of the most significant contributors to today's most serious environmental problems." If you cook a locally sourced vegan meal you are significantly cutting back the amount of emissions put into the environment. If you plan to go out for a vegan meal check out Life Alive in Cambridge or Lowell, their food is amazing.   http://www.lifealive.com/

Ziziki's

After our amazing afternoon at Nick and Sam's Grill we went to dinner at Ziziki's....which is obviously Greek!  Blake and JP invited their good friend Mike, who practices a paleo diet.  Needless to say they figured it would be fun to take their two most finicky eaters out together...and it was!!1  Greek restaurants can easily cater to a macro or vegan.  The restaurant itself is laid back with a European feel. They offer an eclectic wine menu and many unique dishes.  We ordered the trio platter with, dolmas, artichoke hummus, and pita.  For dinner I had the fresh ahi tuna soulvakis....which was a overwhelming amount of food. Mike had the salmon salad....which was gorgeous, as seen above.  (And I have to admit I forgot to ask for them to hold the ziziki sauce, but I scraped it off as best I could and basically just ate the tuna and potatoes-thats why macro/veganism is a "practice" and not a "perfect").  The prices were very affordable, especially for the amount of food you get.  We also had a great bottle of white wine. I definitely suggest this restaurant to anyone who has friends with dietary restrictions and who is looking for a relaxing laid back feel.

Parigi- Dallas

After our amazing fun filled day Blake and JP were so sweet to take me out to dinner at Parigi, one of their most favorite restaurants. I was so excited because I had heard such great things about this restaurant from Blake's friends.  This little jewel of a restaurant is appropriately hidden under an unassuming white arch.  I use the word appropriately because the food is so good that you need a reservation if you are going here for dinner, thus its hidden location is probably best. Blake knew I would love this place because of its reputation for using sustainable foods and partnering with local farms.  The front of the menu lists exactly which farms they source from and allows for an exquisite, always changing, seasonal menu.  The atmosphere is sophisticated and trendy yet comfortable.  They have an amazing patio and a cozy bar.  I ordered a pomegranate martini to start, only after I saw how delicious Blake's looked!  For an appetizer I got the olive and sun dried tomato tapenade.  And for dinner I had the smokey wild mushroom capellini. I even indulged and had some of their signature dessert-  the glob.  Its a must try!  The entire evening was amazing as expected.  

 

SATURDAY IN DALLAS- 4/16

This day was absolutely the best!!!!!  Even though I drank quite a bit than usual the day before, I made sure to take tons of alge before I went to bed to guarantee that I wouldn't be hungover.  And it worked like a charm, thanks to the Naughty Nurtitionist, who I get my alge from.  I was up by 7 am lounging in "Casa de Allie" reading Cooking Light and sipping tea. We had plans to catch a 10 am vinyasa class at Uptown Yoga...and that is exactly what we did.

Uptown Yoga is a classy little studio with some great teachers.  The studio is absolutely beautiful, with brick walls and large framed mirrors in the front of the room, it really had a welcoming feel.   Our instructor, Jennifer, did an amazing job of catering to an all levels class.  I always worry, when brining newbies to yoga, that the instructor will do a poor job of teaching for all levels.  Jennifer did the opposite, in fact she probably did the best job of accommodating all of her students I have seen in a long time.  And that says a lot because I go to a ton of yoga classed. Blake and JP's good friend Sam recommended the studio and actually joined us for class.  We plan to go back tomorrow!!  http://www.uptownyoga.com/



After yoga we hit up the Dream Cafe- this cute little place has gorgeous outdoor seating and we were even lucky enough to get a table directly in the sun.  Since we were still in sweaty yoga clothes the sun felt amazing!  Again this cafe can feed all your friends....even the picky vegan ones.  They offer an amazing southwestern tofu scramble, and can substitute tofu in any of their egg dishes.  They also offer soy cheese and meatless sausages!  Also, they have a to-die-for homemade granola with toasted pepitas.  Sam joined us for brunch and we literally talked food the entire meal...my most favorite conversation!  http://www.thedreamcafe.com/

After brunch we showered and set out to find Spiceman's FM 1410.  Located in the middle of seedy East Dallas this place is a highly understated gem in the rough!!!! I was in absolute heaven.  Although hard to find, this place is a must go for any foodie.  At first you feel like you are walking into a run-down side of the road country store but then you are reminded why you came here.  This place is filled with fresh organic vegetables and herbs.  There were bags of fresh rosemary, sacks of onions and carrots, boxes overflowing with okra, fava beans, and peas.  They had ramps, fiddle ferns, arugula, spinach, and almost anything else that is in season right now. They literally had every kind of mushroom I could conceive of then more.....even white truffles.  The best part is if you walk out the back door you are transported to their amazing garden.  Thats right...right there in the middle of Dallas this little place has an amazing well kept garden with plots full of veggies, and herbs including mint and chives and dill and lettuces!!!! I just about passed out with joy!  They kept all their gardening tools in recycled cowboy boots nailed to beams which I thought was so fitting!  They also had buckets of cow manure for fertilizer...so cool.  Yes... I just got excited about cow poop.  To top it all off we got an unbelievable amount of veggies for $40....thats right- this even included a half ounce of white truffles.

After our visit to Spiceman's we hit the local community garden next door for some herbs. Blake picked up some cilantro, chives, Thai basil and Italian basil.  To show my gratitude I promised her that I would pot it for her once we got home so that she could start a little herb garden of her own!












Last, we went to Jimmy's Food Store right down the block for some wine and fresh lamb chops for Blake and JP to have after I depart.

My sincerest thank you to Blake and JP for making this such a special day for me....if anyone really knows me its you!  I love you so much and cherish our friendship so much.

Bliss...literally!!!

Today after I went to a bankruptcy mock trial with Blake we went out for raw food! Bliss Raw Cafe and Elixir Bar was amazing.  Vegan food in Dallas is hard to come by but there are a few places that really cater to us vegans.  We ordered the Cali Roll and the Tacos.....which were amazing.  The sauces for both dishes were superb. However, this place really specializes in unique superfood drinks. I had a chlorella mint drink, but was intrigued by many hard to find ingredients offered on their menu- like maca for example.  This same owner, Dee, is also opening a vegan restaurant this May here in Dallas. (Maybe I'll have to come back down). So if you are vegan or raw and in Dallas I suggest this spot.
After lunch we met Tara for sangrias at Nick and Sam's Grill...which turned into an afternoon of fun. However, it was a little windy and an umbrella blew onto our table from a few tables over.......we got free drinks as a result, but I wore our second round and Tara ended up with a pile of broken glass in her face and lap.   But good times all together....now off to dinner!

Black Bean Portobello Mushroom Oatmeal Burgers

Black Bean Oatmeal Burgers

1 15 ounce can black beans drained and rinsed
1/2 cup fresh cilantro
1 large portobello mushroom, sauteed
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 tsp cumin
2 green onions, chopped
2/3 cup shredded carrots
2 tbs Anutra
salt and pepper to taste
1 3/4 cup rolled oats
1/2 avocado, sliced
brown mustard (as a condiment)

Method

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Line a baking sheet with parchments and brush with oil.  Process the first 8 ingredients until blended, or just mash with a potato masher. Transfer to a bowl and mix in the oats.  Form into 8 patties and place on the baking sheet.  Bake for 10-15 minutes.  Carefully turn patties over with a wide spatula and place under the broiler for 5  minutes until browned.

Black bean portobello mushroom oatmeal burger
with roasted sunchokes

Arugula salad with black radish, toasted pine nuts and
a red wine Dijon mustard vinaigrette 

Cooking with Anutra!

So if you are wondering what the heck Anutra is....well its my new secret ingredient.  But, because I want everyone to know how amazing it is, I won't keep it a secret.  Anutra is a cultivar of an ancient Aztec crop called Chia.  With tremendous nutritional and health promoting value this super grain really stands apart from most "health foods." Anutra’s overall nutritional profile is far superior to flax or any other whole food, plant or animal. Anutra has 50% more usable protein, 70% more fiber, twice as much calcium and more antioxidants than flax or cultivated blueberries. And, unlike flax, it is FDA‑classified as a regular food, like rice, corn or oats.

Anutra provides 74% of its calories from lipids (Omega-3s, Omega-6s and Omega-9s) and high quality plant protein with very few calories from carbohydrates. The carbohydrate portion of Anutra is predominantly insoluble fiber, which aids in digestion. The proteins in Anutra contain an excellent distribution of amino acids, including all essential amino acids. Anutra also contains six times more calcium than cow’s milk.

Clinical studies show positive results in lowering blood pressure, body inflammation, and blood thinning which can reduce the risk of heart disease, cancer, diabetes, osteoporosis and more.

I was very fortunate to get Anutra as a birthday present from a friend (thanks Greg!). Being macro-vegan means that the nutritional quality of the food I eat is one of my biggest concerns.  Anutra's high levels of Omega-3's, protein, calcium, fiber, potassium, magnesium and iron make it the perfect food for anyone. So tonight I cooked with it.  It is super versatile and takes on the flavor of what ever you are cooking.  My dinner turned out amazing; I made Spanish Rice with Anutra, a tempeh burrito with a cabbage, carrot, and daikon slaw, and a zucchini avocado tartar. I cant wait to make some more recipes with it...next is probably going to be pancakes!

Spanish Rice

2 cups cooked brown rice

1 tbs safflower or vegetable oil

1/2 cup water or vegetable broth

1 can adobo seasoned diced tomatoes

1/2 onion, diced

2 cloves garlic, minced

1/4 cup sprouted adzuki beans, lentils and peas (Jonathan's Organic Munchin Mix)

salt and pepper to taste

2 tbs Anutra

Method

Saute the onions and garlic until translucent.  Add the rice, water, and tomatoes and simmer for 5 minutes.  Add the bean mix and salt and pepper and simmer for another 5 minutes.  Fold in the Anutra. Serve hot. 

Green Miso Soup!!!!

I just finished a two week JOOS cleanse, which was much needed.  It was much easier than I expected and I feel great.  One thing that was nice about the cleanse, in terms of homework, was that I had a ton of spare time since I wasn't cooking, but because I'm so obsessed with cooking I felt a little lost with my newfound free time. So to commemorate my return I decide to make a really yummy, but equally healthy meal. This amazing recipe was printed in the latest Yoga Journal and was originally concocted by Eric Gower (Breakaway Cook, 2011).  Its super simple and unbelievably good.

Green Miso Soup
Ingredients

2 tbs safflower or grapeseed Oil
1 cup onion, diced
4 cups veggie broth
4 cups chard leaves, chopped with ribs trimmed
3 heaping tbs white or yellow miso

Method

Saute the onion in oil until translucent. Add the broth and bring to a simmer.  Add the chard leaves and cook for three minutes. Add the miso and transfer mixture to a blender. Carefully blend in batches until smooth. Serve warm.  (Note: be especially careful blending a hot liquid, the pressure can cause the lid of your blender to pop off!)

This dish would pair well with panko crusted tofu or veggies!!!!